The Unexpected Age When People Say They Are Their Happiest

Worried your glory days are behind you? Think again. A new survey shows that your golden years really are your happiest.

A survey of 2,000 Britons was commissioned by tech giant Samsung to find out which age people are most content with their lives, according to reports by The Daily Mail and other media outlets. You might think of young people as being healthy, carefree and optimistic, and older folks as being similar to the stereotypes of grumpy old men, but the responses revealed otherwise.

Age 35 was when people were found to be least happy, with stress from balancing family life, parenting and increasing responsibilities in the work place with career advancement. Surprisingly, it wasn't any time in your 20s, 30s of even 40s when people were happiest. The survey found that 58 is the age when people are most content with their lives. Respondents said that at this age, they were better at managing work-life balance, making sure to take their lunch breaks and careful not to work overtime. It could also have something to do with being past the major hurdles of raising young children and worries about making it in their line of work.

'It’s little wonder that our 30s are so stressful as we try -- sometimes desperately -- to juggle high-pressure jobs and family demands whilst maintaining happy relationships," Cary Cooper, a professor of organizational psychology and health at the University of Lancaster commented, according to The Daily Mail. "And then by the time we reach our 50s, we feel much more confident -- allowing us to set the agenda when it comes to working hours and family life."

Unsurprisingly, money was the biggest stressor among those surveyed while nearly two-thirds of respondents said quality family time was what brought them the most contentment. Being happy with their line of work was the second most important factor in overall happiness.

Health was "extremely important" to happiness for 73 percent of respondents. People in "good or excellent" health are three times more likely to report being "very" happy. Interestingly, what may matter most is how healthy you <em>think</em> you are: The AARP found that the percentage of people reporting good health is relatively stable over the 35-80 age range, varying only seven percentage points. That's despite the fact that objectively, older people are in fact not as healthy: The number of people who report they are suffering two or more medical conditions increased 400 percent over the 35-80 age range. (People may be comparing their health to their peers who are in worse shape.)